Family Motto: Spero meliora. (Loosely translated as, "I hope for better things")
And if you don't like bad language, then bugger off.
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Monday, 7 March 2011

Even if you’ve won all of the bylaw amendments you sought – and you’re absolutely exhausted– your work isn’t over yet. For the next few months, strive to ensure there are positive media stories, letters to the editor, etc., that tout how well the bylaw changes are working. There will no doubt be a backlash from smokers in the beginning until they get used to the changes. In the meantime, you have to counter their negative comments in the media, in comment sections of online news pieces and blogs, on radio call‐in shows, etc. Your job is to make politicians continue to believe that they did the right thing. It is not unheard of for councillors to backtrack on their decision and water down legislation.

Monitoring Enforcement Efforts

As with any smoke‐free places legislation, enforcement is a concern of both the public and politicians. Smokers will say that smoke‐free outdoor spaces bylaws cannot be enforced, why should police officers waste their time on them, enforcement will cost a fortune, etc. In fact, smoke‐free outdoor spaces legislation is, by and large, self‐enforcing. Moreover, other than signage, it won’t cost much. It will take a few months before people get used to having to move away from others to smoke outside, but it will happen. Members of the public will start to ask smokers to butt out because they feel they have the power of the law behind them. No, we will never have 100% smoke‐free outdoor public spaces, but if they can at least be regulated, non‐smokers have a better chance of avoiding second‐hand smoke when they are trying to enjoy the outdoors. Plant stories in the media about non‐smokers politely asking smokers to move to a designated smoking area or outside the smoke‐free area and smokers complying. Create the impression that the bylaw is working and it will!

That emboldened sentence really takes the biscuit. So lying to the public is OK then.